I was recently reminded of a really fabulous subject I’ve been thinking of sharing on the blog for years now (actually, a draft of this post with just bits of information was started four years ago!).  The subject is the amazing collection of 19th and early 20th century historically clothed dolls that form the collection Les Petites Dames de Mode.

Created by John Burbridge, these dolls are not your average dolls. The dolls and their clothes are to-scale recreations of historic clothing, even down to the trims! I got to see these in person back in 2007 or 2008 when they were on display at Ventfort Hall and let me tell you how stunning it was to see a whole room full of beautifully clothed dolls who were about ⅔ my height! This is some serious attention to detail!

Here are some examples:

Stunning, right?!? They’re really awesome. There’s a book about them that is widely available. Here’s a link to it on amazon. I believe these dolls are currently privately owned by Mr. Burbridge, but that he is looking for a permeant museum home for them. I hope he is successful so that they are preserved and others will also get to view and appreciate them.